Finding Hope in Turbulent Times | Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

The increasing instability and turbulence of our times is shaking many of us to the core. Our aim in this talk is to understand the forces of our times in light of the teachings of the Faith and thereby avoid the fear, despondency and paralysis of will that might otherwise result. We will focus in particular on the twin processes of integration and disintegration.
We will examine the collective journey of humanity towards maturity and unity and contemplate the exigencies and implications of its current developmental stage. We will learn that much of what is happening is not random but part of a greater divine plan that is designed to lead us to a a glorious collective destiny. We will learn to read the signs of labor that the world is experiencing and remind ourselves of the ultimate outcome of this messy and difficult process, namely the birth of a New World Order. In doing so we will bolster our confidence and ignite hope in our collective future.
Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing New Book:
Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution, and Nuclear Proliferation
by Sovaida Ma'ani Ewing
Amazon Link: a.co/d/eCTc7Fq
Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing is an international lawyer, independent scholar, and the founding director of CPGG - the Center for Peace and Global Governance (cpgg.org). CPGG is a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global problems through publications, podcasts, lectures, workshops, webinars, and targeted consulting. CPGG has just published Sovaida’s latest book entitled Bridge to Global Governance: Tackling Climate Change, Energy Distribution and Nuclear Proliferation. The book posits that while humanity’s unprecedented interdependence has made it prone to systemic aliments like climate change and growing threats of nuclear terrorism and war, yet it lacks the institutions for collective decision-making and enforcement needed to tackle these challenges effectively. There is a huge chasm between the institutions we have and those we need. The book engenders hope by proposing a first step across this gap - a step that is inspired by a highly successful institutional model used to rebuild Europe in the aftermath of the Second World War. It recommends adapting this model to address our current challenges while also building confidence to create broader global governance institutions to solve our myriad other collective problems.
Sovaida has also written Building a World Federation: The Key to Solving Our Global Crises. The book posits that humanity has been passing through stages of collective growth towards integration and unity. Our current collective crises-including climate change, financial upheavals, proliferation of nuclear weapons, gross human rights atrocities, and mismanagement of critical natural resources-are simply manifestations of our passage through a turbulent adolescence. The only way to a peaceful world is for humanity to take the next step towards maturity by establishing collective decision-making institutions that can evolve into a world federation of nation-states.
Sovaida is also the author of Collective Security Within Reach published by George Ronald in 2008 with a foreword written by an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. It offers concrete recommendations for action by world leaders, national and international, to solve some of the pressing global problems of our time including the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the equitable distribution of energy resources and the international use of force. Ms. Ma’ani Ewing is currently working on her next book focussing on issues of energy and nuclear proliferation.
Ms. Ma’ani Ewing is a barrister-at-law of England and Wales, an LLM graduate in International Law and European Union Law from Cambridge University and an attorney-at-law in the United States. Her eighteen year legal career has included private practice with respected law firms in Washington, DC, including her own, teaching as an adjunct professor of law and most recently service as an Attorney-Advisor in the Legal Advisor’s Office of the US State Department.
Ms. Ma’ani Ewing was born to a pioneer family in Kenya, and went to school in Haifa, Israel for several years during which her mother served at the World Center. She has lived in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Her Baha’i service includes membership on Local Spiritual Assemblies in England and the US, membership on the National Youth Committee in the UK, work as an assistant to an Auxiliary Board Member, membership on the Board of the Baha’i Justice Society, and service as the Baha’i representative on the Washington Metropolitan Interfaith Council.

[@marcomama1]

Thank you for the response, I just really appreciate your talk, just what everyone is looking for!

[@nimtajvahidani940]

Thank

[@petejams7340]

This was wonderful and such an important topic, I needed this!

[@marcomama1]

Who was the author of the quote about the boat with no crew?

[@WilmetteInstitute]

Thanks for your comment, Marco. The author of the analogy about the ship is Kishore Mahbubani, former diplomat and Professor of public policy at Singapore’s National University. (response from Sovaida Ma'ani)